Inner Essence Above Angels Vayishlach תרל”ח 1
וישלח יעקב מלאכים כבר כתבנו מזה במ”א.
“And Jacob sent angels — we have already written about this elsewhere.”
The Sefat Emet introduces the topic by noting that he has previously explained the deeper meaning of Jacob sending angels.
ותוכן הדברים כי בחי’ המלאך הוא כחות הטבע כמ”ש חז”ל אין עשב בארץ שאין לו מזל ברקיע ואומר לו גדל כו’.
“And the essence of the matter is that the aspect of the angel is the forces of nature, as our sages said: There is no blade of grass on earth that does not have a constellation above that strikes it and tells it ‘Grow,’ etc.”
He defines ‘angels’ as the spiritual forces that animate the natural world, following the rabbinic teaching that every natural phenomenon has a spiritual counterpart guiding it.
וכן תיקון המעשים בימי המעשה ועשית כל מלאכתך וכמ”ש חז”ל שמכל מצוה נולד מלאך.
“So too, the rectification of one’s deeds during the weekdays — ‘and you shall perform all your work’ — and as our sages said, from every mitzvah an angel is born.”
Just as nature has spiritual forces, so human actions generate spiritual beings; each mitzvah creates an angelic force.
אבל פנימיות איש הישראלי הוא למעלה מבחי’ המלאכים והוא בחי’ שבת קודש.
“But the inner essence of the Jewish person is above the level of angels; it is the aspect of the holy Sabbath.”
The deeper soul of Israel transcends the level of angels and corresponds to the sanctity of Shabbat, which is beyond weekday effort.
אך א”א לבוא לפנימיות רק ע”י תיקון המעשים וזהו ענין וישלח כו’ מלאכים לפניו.
“But one cannot reach the inner essence except through the rectification of deeds, and this is the meaning of ‘and he sent… angels before him.’”
To access the transcendent inner holiness, one must first perfect worldly actions — sending forth the ‘angels’ generated by proper deeds.
וזה הי’ מה שיצא יעקב ללבן ואמר עם לבן גרתי תרי”ג מצות כו’.
“And this is why Jacob went out to Laban and said: ‘I dwelled with Laban’ — meaning, I kept the 613 commandments, etc.”
Jacob’s sojourn with Laban represents engaging fully in worldly action while preserving adherence to the commandments.
ועי”ז הי’ הכנה להציל הפנימיות שלו שהוא התורה ממש.
“And through this there was preparation to save his inner essence, which is the Torah itself.”
The rectification achieved in Laban’s house enabled Jacob to protect his deepest spiritual core, identified with Torah.
מעשו שהוא המתנגד אל התורה והבן.
“From Esau, who opposes the Torah — understand this.”
Esau symbolizes forces that oppose Torah; Jacob needed this preparation to withstand that opposition.
כי קצרתי:
“For I have been brief.”
The author concludes by noting that this is only a concise presentation of a deeper teaching.
Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that angels represent the spiritual forces behind nature and behind human actions. Jacob’s sending angels reflects the need to perfect deeds before accessing one’s inner, Shabbat-like holiness. Jacob’s journey to Laban prepared him to safeguard his inner Torah essence from Esau’s opposing forces.
